Democrat Eric Swalwell announces presidential bid

Washington, April 9 (IANS) California Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell has announced that he is running for President in 2020, saying that he believes that the US was in a “quicksand” where Americans feel they were “running in place and it is not adding up to anything”.

“None of that is going to change until we get a leader who is willing to go big on the issues we take on, be bold in the solutions we offer and do good in the ways that we govern. I am ready to solve these problems. I am running for President of the United States,” he said on Monday night in the “Late Show” hosted by Stephen Colbert.

Swalwell, 38, has been contemplating a run for months, CNN reported.

The California Democrat has made several trips to early nominating states like Iowa and New Hampshire, telling the media that he sees a space for a candidate like himself in the race and hinted earlier this month that he was “close to making a decision”.

Swalwell also filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission earlier on Monday.

He enters the race in a crowded field of 17 other Democrats, including Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris, Hindu Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and former presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders.

The field is also slated to get larger in the coming weeks: former Vice President Joe Biden’s announcement is looming this month, along with possible entrances by Representative Seth Moulton, former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams.

Swalwell will follow up his announcement with a frenetic week of campaigning.

The first event will be a Tuesday town hall focused on gun control in Sunrise, Florida. He has made combating gun violence a focus for months.